


Harry Potter and the Unfortunate Time Travel Accident

by TheRebelHunter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Bad Dumbledore, Gryffindor Bashing, Harry Needs a Hug, Harry is a dark wizard, I hope, Not Beta Read, Not Evil Tom, Not insane Tom Riddle, OOC characters, Other, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pre-Voldemort Tom, Smart Harry, grey morality, i am my own beta, i don't like dumbledore, not too much though, slow uploads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-12-02 01:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11498706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRebelHunter/pseuds/TheRebelHunter
Summary: It's September 2nd and the Golden Trio have broken into the Ministry. They got the locket, but as they escaped, Harry was hit by a strange, unknown curse. While Ron and Hermione apparated to safety, Harry was thrown back in time to 1944 where a not crazy Tom Riddle is Head Boy. How will Harry adapt to living in the past, living with Slytherins and attending classes with the future Dark Lord and his 'minions'?I will be taking some creative liberties, which is why it is marked as AU. Gifted to my friend, TheShaddowedSnow here on AO3. I'm also beta-ing a work of hers, so check her out!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheShaddowedSnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShaddowedSnow/gifts).



> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**Parts of this chapter were taken straight from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with some paraphrasing so it would match my writing style and to fit the story more as I am changing it a little.**

**London – 1997, September 2 nd, Tuesday**

The trio had been watching the Ministry for weeks, calculating a plan. Harry knew that Hermione’s plan was very well formulated and should work without a hitch, but for some reason, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong, though it could have just been the argument the night before. He hadn’t slept well that night thanks to the vision he’d gotten from Voldemort, and he ended up getting up a few hours before they had to leave. He stayed in his room until Ron came to get him, the pair going downstairs to eat breakfast with Hermione.

The group ate in relative silence before getting up again to go upstairs. Behind them, Kreacher promised to have steak and kidney pies prepared for them by the time they got back.

“Bless him,” said Ron fondly. “And to think I used to fantasise about cutting off his head and sticking it on the wall.”

Harry snorted and glanced at his friend, grinning. “I think we all did at one stage.”

They made their way onto the front step with immense caution. They could see a couple of puffy-eyed Death Eaters watching the house from across the misty square. Hermione Disapparated with Ron first, then came back for Harry.

After the usual brief spell of darkness and near suffocation, Harry found himself in the tiny alleyway where the first phase of their plan was scheduled to take place. It was deserted, except for a couple of large bins; as the first Ministry workers did not usually appear until at least eight o’clock.

Hermione started to go over the plan again before Ron shut her up with a ‘We know Hermione’. Within a half hour, the three were all disguised and sneaking into the Ministry. Eventually, after a few hiccups, they managed to find Umbridge, and by extension, the locket. And the real problems started after that.

When Harry stunned Umbridge in his rage at her blatant lie about the origins of the locket, her prowling cat patronus holding the dementors at bay vanished. Ice-cold air hit them like an oncoming wind, and Yaxley, confused, looked around for the source of the trouble only to see Harry’s disembodied hand and wand pointing at him. He tried to draw his own wand, but Harry’s “Stupefy!” hit him before he could.

Hermione cried out to Harry, reminding him about Mrs. Cattermole and the dementors. He quickly whirled around, throwing off his invisibility cloak. Below the raised platform, the dementors had moved out of their corners and were gliding towards the woman chained to the chair in the middle of the room. Whether it was because the patronus had vanished, or because they sensed their masters were no longer in control, they had seemed to abandon their restraint. Mrs. Cattermole let out a terrifying scream of fear as a slimy, scabbed hand grasped her chin, forcing her head back.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Harry shouted, his silver stag patronus soaring from the tip of Harry’s wand, leaping toward the dementors, which fell back and melted into the dark shadows again. The stag’s light, more powerful and more warming than the cat’s protection, filled the whole dungeon as it cantered around the room.

“Get the horcrux,” he told Hermione as he ran down the steps towards Mrs. Cattermole, stuffing the invisibility cloak in his bag.

 “You?” she whispered, gazing into his face. “But – but Reg said you were the one who submitted my name for questioning!”

“Did I?” Harry muttered, tugging at the chains binding her arms, “Well, I’ve had a change of heart. Diffindo!” Nothing happened. “Hermione, how do I get rid of these chains?”

“Wait, I’m trying something up here –“

“Hermione, we’re surrounded by dementors!”

“I know that, Harry, but if she wakes up and the locket’s gone… I need to duplicate it – Geminio! There, that should fool her…” Hermione came running downstairs. “Let’s see… Relashio!”

The chains clinked and withdrew into the arms of the chair. Mrs. Cattermole looked just as frightened as ever before. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“You’re going to leave here with us,” Harry told her, pulling her to her feet. “Go home, grab your children, and get out. Get out of the country if you’ve got to. Disguise yourselves and run. You’ve seen how it is, you won’t get anything like a fair hearing here.”

“Harry,” Hermione started quietly. “How are we going to get out of here with all those dementors outside the door?”

“Patronuses,” Harry answered, pointing his wand at his own. The stag slowed and walked, still gleaming brightly, toward the door. “As many as we can muster. Do yours, Hermione.”

“Expec – Expecto patronum,” Hermione said. Nothing happened.

“It’s the only spell she ever has trouble with,” Harry told a very confused Mrs. Cattermole. “Bit unfortunate, really. Come on Hermione!”

“Expecto patronum!” Hermione cried out. A silver otter burst from the end of her wand and swam gracefully through the air to join the stag.

“C’mon,” Harry urged, leading Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole to the door.

When the Patronuses glided out of the dungeon there were cries of shock from the people waiting outside. Harry looked around; the dementors were falling back on both sides of them, melding into the darkness, scattering before the silver stag and otter.

“It’s been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families,” Harry told the waiting Muggle-borns, who were dazzled by the light of the Patronuses and still cowering slightly. “Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That’s the… Erm… New official position. Now, if you’ll just follow the Patronuses, you’ll be able to leave the Atrium.”

They managed to get up the stone steps without being intercepted, but as they approached the lifts Harry started to have reservations. If they emerged into the Atrium with a silver stag, an otter soaring alongside it while accompanied by twenty or so people, half of them accused Muggle-borns, he could not help feeling that they would attract unwanted attention. He had just reached this unwelcome conclusion when the lift clanged to a halt in front of them.

“Reg!” Mrs. Cattermole screamed, and she threw herself into Ron’s arms. “Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and he’s told all of us to leave the country. I think we’d better do it, Reg, I really do. Let’s hurry home and fetch the children and,” she paused, studying him. “Why are you so wet?”

“Water,” Ron muttered, separating himself from her. “Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge’s office door. I reckon we’ve got five minutes if that.“

Hermione’s Patronus vanished with a pop as she turned a horror struck face to Harry.  
“Harry, if we’re trapped here-!”

“We won’t be if we move fast,” Harry cut in. He turned to address the silent group behind them, who were all gawping at him. “Who’s got wands?”

About half of them raised their hands.

“Okay, all of you who haven’t got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. We’ll need to be fast before they stop us. Come on.”

The group managed to cram themselves into two lifts and Harry’s Patronus stood sentinel before the golden grilles as they shut and the lifts began to rise.

“Level eight,” the witch’s cool voice said, “Atrium.”

Harry knew at once that they were in trouble. The Atrium was full of people moving from fireplace to fireplace, sealing them off.

“Harry!” Hermione squeaked. “What are we going to-?”

“STOP!” Harry thundered, and as the powerful voice of Runcorn echoed through the Atrium, the wizards sealing the fireplaces froze.

“Follow me,” he then whispered to the group of terrified Muggle-borns, who moved forward in a huddle, shepherded by Ron and Hermione.

The balding wizard that had followed Harry out of the fireplace earlier looked to them. “What’s up, Albert?’ he asked, looking nervous.

“This lot need to leave before you seal the exits,” said Harry with all the authority he could muster. The group of wizards in front of him looked at one another.

“We’ve been told to seal all exits and not let anyone-“

“Are you contradicting me?” Harry interrupted. “Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell’s?”

“Sorry!” the balding wizard gasped out, backing away. “I didn’t mean nothing, Albert, but I thought… I thought they were in for questioning and…”

“Their blood is pure,” Harry stated, and his deep voice echoed impressively through the hall. “Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go,” he boomed to the Muggle-borns, who scurried forward into the fireplaces and began to vanish in pairs. The Ministry wizards hung back, some looking confused, others scared and fearful.

Then…

“Mary!”

Mrs. Cattermole looked over her shoulder. The real Reg Cattermole, no longer vomiting but pale and ashen, had just come running out of a lift.

“R- Reg?” She looked from her husband to Ron, who swore loudly.

The balding wizard gaped, his head turning ludicrously from one Reg Cattermole to the other. “Hey – what’s going on? What is this?”

“Seal the exit! SEAL IT!” a new voice yelled.

Yaxley had burst out of another lift and was running toward the group beside the fireplaces, into which all of the Muggle-borns but Mrs. Cattermole had now vanished. As the balding wizard lifted his wand, Harry raised an enormous fist and punched him, sending him flying through the air.

“He’s been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!” Harry shouted.

The balding wizard’s colleagues set up and uproar, under cover of which Ron grabbed Mrs. Cattermole, pulled her into the still-open fireplace, and disappeared. Confused, Yaxley looked from Harry to the punched wizard, while the real Reg Cattermole screamed, “My wife! Who was that with my wife? What’s going on?”

Harry saw Yaxley’s head turn and saw an inkling of truth dawn on his brutish face.

“Come on!” Harry shouted at Hermione; he seized her hand and they jumped into the fireplace together as Yaxley sent a strange looking curse sailing towards Harry’s back, which hit him square in the middle of his back. They spun for a few seconds before shooting up out of a toilet into a cubicle. Entirely unaware he’d been hit with a curse, Harry flung open the door to find Ron standing there beside the sinks, still wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole.

“Reg, I don’t understand-“ she cried.

“Let go, I’m not your husband! You’ve got to go home!” Ron protested.

There was a noise in the cubicle behind them and Harry looked around to find that Yaxley had just appeared.

“LET’S GO!” Harry yelled. He seized Hermione by the hand and Ron by the arm and turned on the spot.

Darkness engulfed them, along with the sensation of compressing hands, but something was very wrong… Hermione’s hand seemed to be sliding out of his grip and there was a sudden, burning pain in his back.

He wondered whether he was going to suffocate; he could not breathe or see and the only solid things in the world were Ron’s arm and Hermione’s fingers, which were slowly slipping away…

 

 

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 5 th, Tuesday**

As school days went, it had been a pretty uneventful day for Tom Riddle. He’d gotten up at his usual time, and had gone for a nice long walk before returning to catch breakfast, dining with his friends. After that, the group of seventh years had classes until lunch.

After lunch, Tom had managed to sneak away to the Chamber to spend time with the basilisk, returning to the school in time for his class that afternoon. He had a relaxed dinner with the other Slytherins, ignoring the rest of the school, until finally, he had to go on his rounds after curfew. He found a few students out of bed whom he sent off with a warning.

Overall, a very uneventful and boring day at Hogwarts.

That is, until there was a loud bang from a corridor to his right. Going to check it, his wand out, he found a boy slumped over against the wall. He looked to be rather young, maybe a fifth year, and he sported messy, black hair and pale skin. Beside him lay a wand and a pair of broken glasses. The boy wore a strange clothing, and was unfamiliar to Tom, but as Head Boy, he quickly moved into action, checking to see if the strange male was breathing before trying to wake him.

That failing, he gathered the wand and broken glasses before levitating the boy, taking him to the hospital wing.

The mediwitch was, understandably, very shocked at the appearance of the boy, getting Tom to put him on a bed before casting a multitude of diagnostic charms on him. With each result, she grew more and more concerned. “Tom, please fetch Headmaster Dippet and Professor Slughorn,” she asked of the Slytherin.

Tom gave her a nod, casting a glance at the boy he’d found before turning to do as was requested of him.

He returned a little while later with Professor Slughorn and Headmaster Dippet, frowning a little when he saw that the boy had yet to wake up.

“What can you tell us?” Headmaster Dippet asked of the mediwitch, managing to hide his surprise rather well. Professor Slughorn, however, wasn’t as skilled at hiding his surprise.

“This boy has been through hell and back,” the mediwitch said sadly. “There’s signs of both magical and muggle abuse, bones that had broken and never been set properly. He’s severely malnourished and he’s tiny for his age.”

“How old is he?” Tom asked curiously.

“He’s 17,” the mediwitch answered to everyone’s shock. “Horace, I need nutrition potions, and everything else you can think of to help him.”

The potions professor nodded. “Yes, of course,” he said before hurrying off to get the potions for him.

Whilst they waited for Slughorn’s return, Headmaster Dippet and the mediwitch moved to her office to talk while Tom remained with the boy, his ever curious mind trying to solve the puzzle that he came with.

With Slughorn’s return, the mediwitch dosed the boy with a slew of potions while telling the men gathered that she didn’t know when he’d wake up, but that he’d need to take the potions for at least a month and that she’d like for him to either remain in the hospital wing or at Hogwarts.

It was then that Tom finally spoke up. “I can keep an eye on him when he wakes up. My friends and I won’t mind helping him with classes either,” he offered, looking to Headmaster Dippet.

The headmaster nodded after a moment, nodding. “Very well. We’ll have to ask the boy, of course, but at least we now have a plan. Tom, why don’t you go to bed? It’s very late and you have classes tomorrow.”

Tom nodded in response to the headmaster and cast one last glance at the boy before leaving, all the while thinking; ‘This will be interesting’.


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still slow moving, but Harry is awake! I can't believe how long it's taken me to finish this chapter. I actually wrote most of this and finished it while flying home from my holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Previously:

_Tom nodded in response to the headmaster and cast one last glance at the boy before leaving, all the while thinking; ‘This will be interesting’._

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 6 th, Wednesday**

The next day was full of classes for Tom and his small group of friends, and so Tom wasn’t able to get to the Hospital wing to see the boy until after dinner. By the time he was able to free up some time to visit the boy, most of his friends had found out and Abraxas Malfoy insisted on joining Tom.

When he finally reached the hospital wing, the young Malfoy heir by his side, the boy was still asleep, but looked a lot better than he had the night before. The trend continued much the same for a few days with the boy gaining more colour to his skin and putting on a little weight. Tom visited every evening to check on his progress, strangely drawn to the raven-haired male. He didn’t understand it, and he wanted to so he continued to visit. It wasn’t until a week after Tom had found the strange boy in the halls that he woke up.

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 11 th, Monday**

When he woke up, Harry felt disoriented and groggy, but surprisingly better than he had in years. Slowly opening his eyes, he first noticed a shocking amount of white though he recognised it as the Hogwarts hospital wing in the next second. Groaning in effort, he sat up a little and looked around, narrowing his eyes to combat the blurry vision his lack of glasses gave him. Instead of seeing the shocking red hair and frizzy brown hair of his best friends, he saw what he, at first, thought was Draco Malfoy and another male.

Thoroughly confused now, he reached for his glasses, which the healer had fixed at some point during the week, and put them on only to tense up when he recognised Tom Riddle.

-

Tom had been sitting near the bed for a little over five minutes before Harry woke, having decided to work on some school work and avoid the rest of the school for a little while. Abraxas had arrived only a minute before that to ask for Tom’s assistance on a Defence question. Both sat up straighter and watched Harry when he woke, Tom sending Abraxas to get the mediwitch.

“Take it easy, you’ve been unconscious for a week,” he told the boy gently, taking notice of him tensing as though preparing to run away. “You do not need to worry, you are safe,” he added.

Ever the reckless Gryffindor, Harry scoffed. “Safe? I doubt it,” he muttered. “Where’s my wand?”

Tom grabbed the wand off of the table beside the bed and held it out to Harry. “My name is Tom Riddle. You’re at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

Harry took his wand quickly and gripped it tightly, his fight or flight instinct still in control of his actions. “I know where I am,” he said, glancing around warily as he spoke.

Tom frowned at that and was about to comment further before Abraxas and the healer rushed over. The elderly woman quickly started to fuss over Harry, casting diagnostic spells and getting him to drink some foul-tasting potions.

Harry knew better than to protest, though he was sure to keep Tom in his sights at all times. No longer was Harry the Gryffindor Golden Child, but instead a victim of the vicious war in his world. He was cautious and wary, skittish and flighty. He had to be, in order to survive. It also didn’t help that the man sitting before him was the reason he had to develop this behaviour.

Of course, it didn’t matter to him that it wasn’t _this_ Tom that started the war. He was still Tom Riddle, the future Dark Lord Voldemort.

Tom watched Harry curiously, wondering just who this boy was, how he had gotten into Hogwarts, and, above all, why he seemed so frightened of Tom.

After the mediwitch had force-fed Harry a heap of potions, she sent Abraxas to fetch the headmaster. “What’s your name, dear?” she asked kindly, fixing the blankets Harry was under.

Harry was silent for a long moment, debating whether or not he should tell the truth. “I would rather not answer that until I know what’s going on, if you don’t mind,” he eventually replied, finally deciding to listen to Hermione’s advice to examine the situation before acting.

The mediwitch nodded and smiled again. “Of course, dear. The headmaster will be here soon and you both can sort things out. How are you feeling?” she asked.

Harry swallowed and glanced around again. “I feel fine. Great even.”

Tom watched the interaction and summoned a nearby jug of water and a glass before pouring Harry a glass of the crystal liquid. “Here, have something to drink. Your body will thank you,” the elder teen said, holding the glass out to him.

Taking the glass warily, Harry subtly cast a spell to check the water for any unknown surprises. There weren’t any, but he did surprise both Tom and the mediwitch at his knowledge of spells. Then the mediwitch had to wonder why he knew that spell.

After Harry took a tentative sip, Abraxas returned with Headmaster Dippet. The older wizard was very different to Dumbledore in that he was wearing understated robes, unlike the garish and extreme robes Dumbledore liked to wear. “Good afternoon, young man,” he greeted cheerfully. “It’s wonderful to finally see you awake. How do you feel?”

Sitting up a little more from his reclined position, Harry gave a tiny smile. “I feel better, thank you, sir,” he said quietly. “Can I speak with you in private?”

Headmaster Dippet looked surprised at the request but nodded. “Of course, dear boy. Mister Riddle, Mister Malfoy, I believe you both have a class to get to?”

The boys both nodded and Tom gathered his things before standing. “I’m glad to see that you’re awake,” he told Harry, not sure why the words left his lips but they did and he was unable to take them back. He and Abraxas left, the former giving the former a curious look which Tom answered with a scowl.

 -

Harry looked over at Headmaster Dippet as he sat down beside the bed after the mediwitch left. “What year is it, professor?” he asked.

To his credit, Headmaster Dippet only looked ever so slightly surprised at the question and he waved his wand instead of answering. The curtains surrounding the cot slid close with a soft hiss and a privacy ward went up after that. “The year is 1944 and today is the 12th of September. I’m assuming from your question and your caution that you’ve had an unfortunate run-in with time?” he remarked, a twinkle in his eyes.

Unlike Dumbledore’s ‘twinkle’, Dippet’s had an equal balance of curiosity, fondness and intelligence in it, where with Dumbledore, you could tell that he was playing more than one game of chess with those around him. It was this that made Harry trust Headmaster Dippet.

Harry nodded slowly and rubbed his hand over his face. He had a feeling that he was in the 1940’s due to Riddle’s presence but knowing that he was, indeed, that far back in time was still quite a shock. “My name is Harry Potter and I have no idea how I’m here. The last thing I remember, it was the first of September 1997,” he told the Headmaster wearily. “I can’t tell you much else than that or else I risk changing the timeline, or whatever happens when you travel to the past.”

The headmaster nodded and smiled warmly. “Well, Mr Potter. My name is Armando Dippet and I am the Headmaster of this school. Are you familiar with her?”

Harry nodded, leaning back against his pillow. “I am. I spent six years here,” he answered, a fond smile slipping onto his face. No matter what happened, Hogwarts was always a comfort to the young boy. A light in the storm. “I am – _was_ – a Gryffindor,” he added after a moment, his smile slipping as a sad expression appeared.

“I was a Slytherin when I attended here many, many years ago,” Dippet told Harry warmly, a chuckle escaping.

Harry looked up and licked his lips nervously. “What now, sir? I don’t know how I got here and I certainly don’t know how to get back to my own time,” he said, unable to hide the small trace of fear in his killing curse coloured eyes.

The other was silent for a long moment as he thought. “There is the option where you could finish your last year of school here, if you wish. Just while I search for something to take you home. A boy shouldn’t concern himself with such matters and I suspect you are well overdue a chance to ask like a normal boy.” He paused and held up his hand when he saw Harry about to interrupt. “When you came here, we weren’t sure what was wrong and Isabelle cast a diagnostic charm to find out. I will not force you to talk about your injuries, but there are far too many for a normal young boy. Young Tom thought you were a lost fourth year, at first, you were so malnourished. For one year, you deserve to be a normal boy. Leave the complicated mess of time travel to me, please.”

Harry was speechless, staring at the headmaster in complete shock. “You… But, I… I can’t! My… I’m needed back home!” he insisted when he regained his ability to speak. “There are people relying on me!”

“And they will still be there when you get back, Harry,” Dippet soothed gently, clasping one of Harry’s hands between his. “It will be okay, Harry,” he added, patting his hand gently.

Swallowing thickly, Harry couldn’t help but nod and allow an adult to be the one in control for once. “I… Okay,” he whispered.

Dippet smiled warmly at him. “Once Isabelle allows you to leave, we’ll get you sorted and settled in before classes resume next week. Now, I think we should get you something to eat. You are far too skinny, dear boy,” he said, already making himself a list of things to do.

Harry nodded once again, not sure what else to do. There really wasn’t much else he could do, stuck in the past.

 -

Soon after the pair had decided on a course of action, Dippet called for a house elf to bring Harry some lunch. He wasn’t able to eat much despite having been asleep for a week, but he didn’t mind. The food was as good as ever, after all.

His body still wasn’t fully back to its usual energy and magic levels, so Harry went back to sleep.

 -

Meanwhile in the Slytherin Common Room, Tom was pondering on what, exactly, had possessed him to say what he had to Harry.


	3. Starting School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has now recovered from his trip through time and is about to start his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
> 
> This is where I am starting to take creative liberty. Also, two posts in one day? I'm on a roll! (I also edited two of TheShaddowedSnow's chapters while taking breaks from this fiction)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 12 th, Tuesday**

Harry didn’t stir again until the next morning, and wasn’t allowed to leave the Hospital Wing until well after lunch. He made his way up to the headmaster’s office when he was allowed to leave.

Despite the many years between 1944 and 1997, Hogwarts was almost the exact same as he remembered it. The gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore’s office wasn’t there, however.

Swallowing thickly, Harry took the stairs up to the office and knocked on the door firmly.

“Come in, young Harry,” Dippet called from inside the room.

Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking around curiously. It was so very different to what he was used to, but somehow, it was more comfortable. It wasn’t crowded with items and gizmos and was instead packed with books. Walking over to the desk, Harry continued to look around until he came to a stop in front of Headmaster Dippet.

“From your expression, I assume my office looks very different in the future?” the older wizard asked.

Harry nodded. “The difference is night and day, sir,” he said.

“Take a seat, dear boy. I think we should get you sorted and settled in, don’t you?”

Harry sat down in front of the desk, noticing the sorting hat sitting proudly on the desk. At Dippet’s instruction, he picked the hat up and put it on.

“ _Interesting, very interesting. This isn’t the first time you and I have met, I see_ ,” came the rough whisper of the sorting hat. “ _I stand by my future self’s judgement of you. While you have done well in Gryffindor, you will not continue to thrive there as you have before. No, you need to enter the den of snakes. It is where you are needed_ ,” the hat added.

Before Harry could even think to protest against the hat’s decision, it called out; “Slytherin!”

Harry took the hat off and put it back on the desk, shooting up to his feet. “No! I can’t go there! I’m a Gryffindor!”

Dippet watched Harry’s outburst silently. “I’m sorry, dear boy, but the hat’s word is final. I don’t think you’ll find Slytherin house as terrible as you fear. And I trust young Tom to look out for you.”

“That’s just the problem, sir! I can’t be anywhere near him!”

“And why not? He is the one who found you, that brought you to the hospital wing. He visited each day while you were asleep. I don’t know what you’re frightened of, or what happens in the future, but Tom is not a bad boy. He’s had some issues in the past, and doesn’t always get along with others, but he’s still a polite and good boy.”

“He-!” Harry had to cut himself off before he messed up something by telling Dippet just who Tom Riddle would become. “Please, sir. Anything but Slytherin.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Potter, you are now a part of Slytherin. It would be wise for you to change your name as well, I’m afraid. To help you protect your secret.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped and he sat back down. “Evans. James Harrison Evans,” he said quietly.

Dippet nodded and wrote something down, before handing a piece of parchment over. “This is a list of elective subjects we have here, and a list of our core subjects. I assume it’ll be very similar to what you are used to.”

Harry nodded and took the parchment. There were two lists written neatly on it and Harry looked it over curiously.

**_ Core Subjects (These are Compulsory) _ **

**_Astronomy_ **

**_Charms_ **

**_Defensive Magic_ **

**_Herbology_ **

**_Magical History_ **

**_Muggle History_ **

**_Potions_ **

**_Transfiguration_ **

****

**_ Elective Subjects (Choose up to Four) _ **

**_Alchemy_ **

**_Ancient Runes_ **

**_Arithmancy_ **

**_Art_ **

**_Care of Magical Creatures_ **

**_Dark Magic Theory_ **

**_Divination_ **

**_Languages – Latin, Gaelic, Arabic and Old Norse_ **

**_Light Magic Theory_ **

**_Music_ **

Having read through the list, Harry looked up at Dippet again. “We don’t have a lot of these subjects in the future. There’s no Magic theory, light or dark, no languages, no alchemy, Magical History is just History of Magic, and we have muggle studies as an elective, and our Defensive Magic is called Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

Dippet frowned. “Interesting. And concerning. Dark Magic is not inherently bad, nor is Light Magic inherently good. It is how you use magic and who you are as a person that determines if you’re a good person or a bad one.

“Muggle History has always been compulsory because if muggles are good at anything, it’s creating new ways to torture and kill each other. By learning their history, and ours by extension, the hope is that we won’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Alchemy is mostly run on an interest base and we only offer it to sixth and seventh years. We offer theory on both branches of the extremes of magic for those whom are interested but leave the practical learnings to be taught outside of school. Occasionally, we implement the greyer side of both magicks in Charms, Transfiguration and Defence, but we always seek permission from guardians and parents,” Dippet explained in a manner that didn’t make Harry feel stupid as some adults had the propensity to do.

Nodding slowly, Harry looked over the electives again. Now that he knew he was in a safe place, he was able to focus on being himself, instead of looking over his shoulder at every sound and movement. Exhaling softly, he remembered Sirius and Remus, both dark wizards and yet, both so kind.

True, Sirius hated his family and wanted to be light, and Remus hated the wolf, but it didn’t change the fact that both were Dark and chose to be good people.

“I think I would like to do both magical theories,” he said after a moment. “My friend used to adore both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, so I think I might want to try those as well, please.”

Dippet nodded and smiled. “You’ll be quite behind in both Runes and Arithmancy, but I have complete faith that you’ll be able to catch up very quickly,” he told Harry, putting him in all of his classes. “I’ll have your Head of House deliver your timetable to you at breakfast in the morning. For now, feel free to explore the castle and her grounds. The current password to the Slytherin Common Room is _Cypress_. I had a house elf collect school books and uniforms for you. Should you need anything else at all, feel free to come see me, the Slytherin prefects, your Head of House, or the Head Boy or Girl.”

Harry nodded as he took all the information in, leaning slumped back in his seat. It was exhausting, being on the receiving end of so much information. Allowing himself a few minutes to absorb all the information, Harry looked up at Dippet. “One last thing…”

“Yes, Mr Potter?” the Headmaster replied with a warm and patient smile.

“Who’s the Head Boy?”


	4. My Name Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet some new characters this chapter. From here on, we can start to get into the story. I will be expanding on each character in later chapters, don't fret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I’m taking creative liberty by naming the previously un-named Lestrange boy (Aquilius), and I am making Charlus and Henry Potter twins in Gryffindor and Slytherin, respectively. Orion and Cygnus are both the same age here and are still cousins. I will be making a little chart later just in case it gets confusing as I am ignoring some parts of canon to have certain people in this story.

Previously:

_“Who’s the Head Boy?”_

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 12 th, Tuesday**

Dippet regarded Harry for a long moment before he answered. “Tom Riddle is Head Boy this year,” he told the young time traveller.

Harry clenched his jaw and gripped the hem of his shirt tightly. He clearly wanted to say something, but held himself back. He respected Dippet far too much to say what he wanted to, some of which likely would have made a sailor blush.

“I know you dislike Tom, but he’s a good Head Boy,” Dippet told him. “After seeing how he acted as a prefect, the professors and I thought he was the best candidate. He also holds the best grades in the school.”

“But he’s-!” Harry started before cutting himself off and ducking his head. Hermione would have been proud of how well he was controlling himself. “Yes, sir. I will be going then, if that’s all?” he asked softly.

Dippet nodded and gave Harry a warm smile. “That’s all. I’ll see you at dinner.”

 -

As he explored the castle, Harry couldn’t help but feel a great sense of loss and regret, though he still felt the comfort and safety that radiated out of the stone walls. Without realising it, Harry found himself standing outside of the unused girl’s bathroom. Glancing around, Harry rubbed the back of his neck.

“Later,” he mumbled to himself, turning to head to where he remembered the Slytherin common room was.

“Cypress,” he told the entrance reluctantly, not wanting to be part of the snake house but knowing he had no choice.

Once inside the common room, Harry looked around curiously and was surprised that the common was a lot more comfortable than he remembered. There were a few students dotted around the room, some studying and others talking quietly among each other. It was quiet and peaceful, kept warm by a large fire to the left side of the large room. The furniture was crafted out of warm, dark woods, soft, plush leather or silky, emerald fabric. There were bookshelves dotted around the room, all of them full of books of varying subjects.

The walls were made of pale grey stones with dark wood supports breaking the room up. Large floor to ceiling windows looked out into the deep, greenish waters of the black lake where several aquatic lifeforms were visible as they swam about.

It was harsher than the hot and bright Gryffindor common room, but it was still comfortable and, if anything, it was more comfortable.

Stepping further into the room, Harry looked around again, though he was looking at the students more closely this time. Tom wasn’t there, but the blond he’d seen in the hospital wing was, sitting in a small group of males who were all studying and talking quietly.

-

Abraxas Malfoy was having a slow day. Tom was in a mood, Orion was complaining about his arranged marriage again, and he had an essay due in transfiguration but was unable to concentrate long enough on it to complete it. To make matters worse, the rest of his small group of friends had heard about the boy Tom had found and both Black cousins were asking a multitude of questions.

Lestrange had his customary glare on his face, watching the two cousins speak and Henry Potter was the only one not paying attention, jotting notes down in a book.

Hearing someone enter the common room, Abraxas looked up, expecting to see Tom. Instead, he saw the boy Tom had found looking around curiously.

Glad for the opportunity to put off his work and to get away from the cousins, the young Malfoy Lord got to his feet and walked over to Harry. “Good afternoon. I don’t think we ever got the change to be introduced. I’m Abraxas Malfoy,” he said, holding his right hand out to shake Harry’s.

Harry regarded him warily for a moment, studying Abraxas’s features closely. Whilst Lucius and Draco both had platinum blond hair and steel grey/blue eyes, Abraxas had pale brown eyes and his hair was a little darker than his future son's.

Swallowing, Harry reached out and shook Abraxas’s hand. “I’m James. James Evans,” he said.

Abraxas grinned and dropped his hand. “Why don’t you come sit over with my friends and I, Mr Evans?” he offered.

Harry was surprised at the use of the word friend, and against his better judgement, he nodded. His choice to follow Abraxas was proven to be a good one when he saw someone who looked almost exactly like Sirius, noticing someone who looked similar to his dad seconds later as Henry looked up from his book.

“Who’s this, Brax?” the young Potter heir asked, studying Harry curiously with a grin.

“This is Mr James Evans, the new guy that Tom found,” Abraxas replied easily, sitting back down where he had been before. “Mr Evans, meet Henry Potter. Sitting on his left is Orion Black, Cygnus Black next to him and then, next to me is Aquilius Lestrange. Tom usually sits between me and Cygnus but he’s currently not here.”

As the blond introduced each of the others, they either gave a stiff nod (Lestrange), a bright grin and a wave (Orion and Henry), or a small smile and a nod (Cygnus).

Harry waved a little. “Hello. How are you all?” he asked politely.

“Well, I don’t know about that lot, but I’m pretty alright,” Henry hummed, leaning back in his seat.

“That’s only because you were off snogging what’s her name earlier,” Cygnus scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Henry just shrugged. “What can I say? She’s a bloody great snog.”

“At least you two don’t have an arranged marriage,” Orion groaned, slumping forward and resting his chin on his arms which were crossed and resting on the table.

Cygnus winced. “I am sorry, mate. She’s an utter nightmare,” he sighed.

Henry offered a chair to Harry, having made a space for him in between him and Lestrange.

Harry gratefully took the seat and looked around the group. He knew these were some of the first Death Eaters, but Orion was Sirius’s dad and Henry is Harry’s grandfather. Or was it great grandfather? He’d have to work it out later.

“What’s going on?” he asked Henry in a hushed tone.

Henry leaned closer to explain in the same hushed tone. “Orion is a Black and they often have arranged marriages, Orion’s side of the line is bad for it. And his parents have decided that, of all the women they could pick, Walburga was the best option. Walburga is Cygnus’s sister and they’re second cousins.”

Harry scrunched up his nose. “But they’re cousins!” he muttered, still quiet.

Henry nodded and sighed. “ _Toujours Pur_ ,” he quoted, sounding a little disgusted. “That’s the family motto. It’s Latin for ‘Always Pure’.”

Harry nodded. “I know.”

Cygnus and Orion had stopped talking about the latter’s arranged marriage and were now bugging Abraxas for help with their potions work.

“Hey, what classes are you taking?” Orion asked Harry suddenly, turning to face him with a bright grin. With that grin on his face, he looked so very much like Sirius had in the pictures from James’s and Lily’s wedding and Harry was speechless for a moment as grief gripped his heart.

“I decided to take the theory for both Light and Dark magic, Runes and Arithmancy,” he answered. “I wasn’t really big on learning at my old school but one of my friends there insisted I had to make an effort one day, so… Here I am,” he added quietly.

“Smart words,” Abraxas said, penning a note on his parchment. “Doing well in school sets you up for success later in life.”

“Do you rehearse that in the mirror when you get up each morning?” Henry gibed.

“He can’t spend all that time on just his hair,” Cygnus added, further teasing Abraxas.

“Be quiet, you heathens,” Abraxas huffed.

Harry watched the interaction with wide eyes, not used to seeing Slytherins act so… Human.

“Didn’t you five have school work to finish today?” a smooth, deep voice asked from behind Harry, making the slight boy flinch and look over his shoulder in panic.

Tom was standing there, hair perfect and his robes spotless. He looked perfect, and Harry was horrified at himself when the thought that he looked attractive as well crossed his mind. He didn’t want to think of his enemy like that!

Reaching into a black leather satchel hanging from his shoulder, Tom pulled out a book, and some parchment before moving over to what Abraxas has claimed was Tom’s usual seat, sitting down beside the blond. He then pulled out a quill and an ink pot.

As Tom had been arranging himself, the others had all mumbled that they were working on their school work or claimed that they were trying to.

Tom hummed in response and looked at Harry from across the table, his red tinted brown eyes studying the other. “Welcome to Slytherin house, Mister…?” He trailed off, waiting for someone to fill in the blank.

“Evans. My name is James Evans,” Harry said, fighting hard to act normal. Forgetting that some of the people at the table would become or were Death Eaters was very different to pretending that Tom wasn’t Voldemort, the man who had almost single-handedly ruined his life.

Tom nodded. “Have you been assigned a room yet?” he asked. “And have you worked out a class schedule with the Headmaster?”

“I’ve selected my elective classes but I haven’t got my class schedule yet. And I was unaware that you were assigned rooms,” Harry replied.

“Here in Slytherin, we value privacy and so, unlike both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, we have two or three to a room. It has been proven to work better for our house for many years,” Henry told Harry.

Harry nodded slowly in understanding. “Well, I haven’t been assigned a room.”

“You’ll likely be sharing with me in that case,” Tom said, though he didn’t look too excited about the prospect. He was used to having his own space. At least he had the Chamber still.

Harry also didn’t look too happy at the development but he didn’t comment, just nodded and looked at what Henry was studying. “What are you guys studying in Defensive Magic?” he asked, only just remembering to call it Defensive Magic instead of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

“We’re studying different types of powerful shields.”

Harry nodded, eyes bright. “Have you read about the patronus yet?”

“I’ve read ahead, so yes,” Tom said, now working on an essay that he needed to do.

“I haven’t,” Orion told Harry with a shrug. “But I do know it’s very powerful and extremely light.”

Henry nodded. “It’s that type of spell that can change one’s magical core.”

Harry blinked. “I learnt how to cast it when I was 13,” he admitted.

Tom regarded Harry curiously for a moment. “Explains why your core seems so forced to be light. I was surprised that you were put in Slytherin at first, but now that I really look, your magical core is both suppressed and forced to be light.”

Harry’s eyes widened at that. “Wait, wait, wait… You can tell what my magical core is and you can tell that it’s suppressed and forced? I don’t even know what it means to have a light magical core!”

“What did they teach you at your last school? Or rather, what _didn’t_ they teach you?” Lestrange spoke up for the first time in a while.

“Quite a lot, apparently,” Harry muttered. “I’m sure there was a reason, though.”

Tom was still watching Harry, more curious than ever before. “Come with me to the library. I’ll show you to the books you’ll need to catch up. And you will also need books on the subjects you’ve chosen.”

Harry nodded reluctantly and stood, utterly bewildered about what Tom had said still. “Lead the way, then.”

Tom nodded and packed his belongings up before putting them in his bag, standing once confident that his things were in order. Standing, he motioned for Harry to move towards the exit to the Slytherin Common Room. “This way, Evans.”


	5. The Library, the Room and the Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did I write nearly an entire page describing Harry and Tom’s room? Why yes, yes, I did. Interior Design is a passion of mine and I’m about to start studying it and thus, I went in depth when designing the boys’ room. I have zero apologies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 12 th, Tuesday**

Even though Harry knew the way to the Library, he allowed himself to be led there by Tom, preferring to stay behind his future enemy and keep a close eye on him than to open himself up to an attack from behind.

It was unlikely to happen in the Halls of Hogwarts where others could see, but Harry was still cautious.

“What electives did you decide to take this year?” Tom asked absently as they walked.

Harry took a moment before answering, having been deep in thought before Tom had shaken him from his thoughts. “Oh, I decided to take the theory for both Light and Dark Magic, Runes and Arithmancy,” he answered.

Tom nodded slowly. “I’m in the theory for both Light and Dark magic, and Arithmancy as well. I am studying Latin instead of Runes, however. I can assist you in catching up with the three classes we share, and I’m sure one of the others won’t mind helping you with Runes,” he told Harry as they approached the library.

“Why are you studying Latin?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Spell-crafting is easier when you know the language you’re using for said spells,” Tom answered easily, taking Harry through the stacks and collecting all the books Harry would need to help him catch up, assuming that Dippet arranged for the books on the book list for that year to have been sent to Harry with his uniform, and other items. “I think this is a good start.”

Harry stared at the stack of books in horror. “There’s so many…” he breathed.

Tom chuckled. “Yes, well, I don’t know what your school taught you, so there’s seven years’ worth of material here. I doubt the librarian will let you take all these out, so I’ll take them out for you.”

Harry nodded slowly and swallowed. “Right. Yes, thank you,” he said quietly.

Tom nodded and left to take the books out for Harry, leaving him to browse the books aimlessly.

“Henry, I thought you said you were studying all afternoon,” a feminine voice said from behind Harry.

Harry’s eyes widened and he turned to look at the woman.

She was a pretty seventh year with auburn hair, blue eyes that reminded Harry of the sky on a clear summer day, and pale skin with dark freckles dusted on her cheeks. Her eyes widened as well. “Oh, I’m sorry! I thought you were someone else. I’m Natalia Lupei,” she said, giving Harry a bright smile despite her embarrassment, a light pink blush on her cheeks.

Harry gave her a smile. “It’s fine. Honest mistake. I’m James Evans. Also known as the New Guy,” he said.

Natalia smiled back. “Well, you look a lot like my boyfriend, Henry Potter. I apologise again for the mistake.”

“It’s no issue, really,” Harry insisted, deciding that he liked the girl who appeared to be a Ravenclaw, if the tie around her neck meant anything.

She nodded and grabbed a book, seeming to notice something behind Harry. “It was nice to meet you, James. Don’t let Tom scare you too much,” she said with a wink, before turning and walking off, her hair swaying behind her.

“Natalia Lupei, Ravenclaw prefect for the Seventh Years,” Tom said from behind Harry, making the green-eyed wizard yelp and jump, spinning around to face Tom.

“You can’t _do_ that!” he hissed, crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl. “I woulda cursed you if my wand had been out! Stop sneaking up on me!”

“It’s hardly my fault you don’t hear me approaching, and I wasn’t sneaking up on you, Evans. Honestly, I’ve never met anyone quite as flighty as you are,” the Slytherin mused, studying Harry.

Harry grumbled and looked around for the books that Tom had taken out for him only to see that they weren’t in sight. “Where…?” he mumbled, confused.

Tom rose an eyebrow. “Feather-light and undetectable expansion charms on my bag,” he told Harry by way of an explanation. “We ought to head back to the Common Room so that I can show you to your room and you can settle in before classes start tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and glanced at Tom’s bag. After spending months with Hermione and her bottomless bag, he should have known. “Yeah. Okay,” he uttered.

Tom nodded and led Harry back to the Slytherin Commons, pausing only to scold some first years running down the halls, and again to give a detention to and take points from a Gryffindor that was bullying a Hufflepuff. Harry was left watching Tom in a state of confusion. The Tom that he’d grown up hearing about would never have protected another student, and wouldn’t have cared about the rules, but here he was, enforcing rules in a way he’d only seen Hermione do.

While Tom was still talking with the Gryffindor, Harry turned to the Hufflepuff, a young boy with strawberry blond hair and heterochromia iridis. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

The boy nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Y-yeah. It always happens,” he said quietly, looking down shyly.

Harry frowned. “What do you mean it always happens?” he asked, reminded suddenly of Neville and of himself at the Dursleys.

“Well, because I’m a freak because of my eyes,” the Hufflepuff answered miserably.

“Whoever told you that is jealous and very wrong. You’re not a freak. I think heterochromia iridis is awesome and unique. What’s your name?”

The boy looked up at Harry with wide eyes. “I’m C-Callisto Kage, sir,” he answered.

Harry gave Callisto a warm smile. “I’m James Evans. If anyone ever gives you trouble about your eyes, either send them to me or come find me, okay? I’m always happy to talk to those who need an open ear.”

Callisto smiled and nodded. “Thanks, James. I think your eyes are cool too,” he gushed, waving as he ran off.

Tom was watching the interaction, having properly scolded the Gryffindor for his behaviour. “You were awfully good with him. You have siblings?” he asked as Harry stood from the crouched position he’d been in.

Harry shook his head and ran his hand through his messy hair. “No siblings, but I became friends with someone who had a large family. And I used to have a group at my old school where I helped everyone with Defence work. It got to where the younger students always felt comfortable coming to me for help. I just don’t like seeing people upset like that for no reason,” he explained with a sheepish grin. “And I always help the underdog. I spent too many years as the underdog, being treated like crap. I don’t want others to feel like that.”

Tom looked at Harry, studying him closely. There was something in his eyes that Harry couldn’t recognise but it was a new-found respect for the strange boy from the future.

“Let’s continue back to the Common Room. Dinner is in an hour and I expect you’d like to relax some before the feast,” he said, turning to lead the way back to the dungeons, turning the new information about Harry over in his head.

Harry followed along quietly, hoping the small Hufflepuff boy would be okay.

-

When they reached the Common Room, Tom led Harry through to a staircase, heading up to a corridor of doors. “This is for all the sixth and seventh-year boys. The first lot of doors is for all the sixth years. This door here to our left is where Cygnus and his younger brother, Alphard share. Opposite is where Abraxas and Lestrange share. Next to Cygnus’s and Alphard’s room is Henry’s and Orion’s. Finally, opposite of their room is the room we now share,” Tom told Harry, gesturing to each door as they passed them. The door to the room he and Harry now shared was at the very end of the small corridor.

Tapping his wand on the handle of the door, Tom muttered something in parseltongue before opening the door. “I placed a password on it to keep other’s out and it’s in Parseltongue, so why don’t you go in and explore while I change it?” Tom suggested, motioning for Harry to enter the room.

Harry nodded and entered the room, looking around curiously.

Most of the room’s walls were painted a warm, medium toned grey, while the wall the beds were flush against was exposed aged, grey stone. The room had a high ceiling, with candle sconces installed on the walls. Off to the left of the room, there was another door leading to what Harry suspected may be a bathroom. Despite most of the dungeon common room having stone floors, the bedroom had dark wooden floorboards and a dark wooden kickboard. Cut into the stone wall between the beds was a window looking out into the lake, giving the room a slight greenish tinge, but still brought some light into the room that wasn’t candlelight.

The wood for the furniture was also all in dark woods. Both beds were crafted from Brazilian Rosewood, as was most of the other furniture in the room. There were two wardrobes with drawers at the base beside each other on the right wall, a bedside table between each bed, which were pressed flush against the opposite wall to the entrance to the room. One bed had a trunk at the end of it, though another trunk was just visible under the other bed’s blankets. Pressed up against the left wall, just down from the bathroom door, was a large bookshelf which was extremely full but still had room for more books.

Just like when Harry was in Gryffindor, the beds were both four-poster beds with emerald green hangings for the privacy of their occupants, but unlike in Gryffindor tower, the beds were doubles instead of king singles. Since the room didn’t have to hold five or more people at one time, the allowance for space was much bigger, allowing for bigger beds.

The bed on the right (Tom’s, most likely) was made neatly with crisp, light grey sheets, with a soft, warm-looking, and deep, olive green comforter on top. At the foot of the bed was another soft blanket, folded up in such a way that it would be easy to pull it up to use for extra warmth. This time, it was black and looked like it was made of some type of fur. The pillows consisted of two black European pillows, two emerald standard pillows and one black velvet boudoir pillow at the very front.

The bed on the left, which Harry assumed to his, was very similar, but instead of dark colours, his bed was covered in lighter, more earthy colours. His sheets were a pale, spring green, and on top was a darker, forest green comforter with soft, amber brown trimmings. At the foot of his bed was a pure white blanket. Harry’s pillows consisted of two deep, earthy brown European pillows, two forest green standard pillows and one gold velvet boudoir pillow as an accent.

By the time Harry had finished taking the room in, Tom had finished changing the password and had entered the room, watching Harry look around in awe. Moving to sit on his bed, Tom started pulling Harry’s books out of his bag. “The new password is Vipera berus,” he told Harry, studying the new bed curiously.

Harry looked at Tom and raised his eyebrow. “Really? You went from a password in the snake tongue to the Latin name of a literal snake?” he laughed, forgetting for a moment that he was meant to be wary of the man in the room with him.

Tom grinned and shrugged. “You _are_ in the snake house, don’t forget,” he reminded the other, waving his hand and making the books all float over to Harry’s bed wandlessly and wordlessly.

“How could I? We’re in the dungeons,” Harry muttered, moving to start digging through his trunk to see what he had. “Do you have a pet I need to be aware of?”

“No. I occasionally bring a snake in when it gets too cold outside and they don’t have anywhere to go, but I do not have an owl or a cat.”

Harry nodded and waved his wand to start organising his new belongings. “I would suggest that we get together at some point and write down some rules we both have to follow in here. It’ll make living together much easier, I think,” he mused, hanging up his new school robes in the empty wardrobe.

Tom watched him, relaxing on his bed. “Only if we both agree on said rules, of course.”

Harry nodded. “Of course. Anything else would be unfair, Mister Riddle,” he pointed out, sitting on his bed once he had organised himself. He would put the trunk under the bed later, more interested in relaxing on the huge bed. It was huge to him, at the very least.

Tom nodded and stood. “I’m going to take a shower before dinner. We ought to head up in half an hour,” he told Harry, moving towards the bathroom after collecting a change of clothes. “Try not to make a mess in the meantime,” he added before vanishing into the room to take a shower.

Harry grumbled to himself at that and started to snoop a little after pushing his trunk under his bed.

Riddle was a… Well, ‘Neat Freak’ was really the only term for it, despite Harry’s hatred of the ‘f’ word. Everything was neat and tidy, with everything having a place.

Looking through the books on the bookshelf curiously, Harry found quite a few books on darker subjects and things that would not have been acceptable at all in his time. Among them were a few books on subjects like Mind Magics, Elemental Magics and even something called Parselmagic? Taking on of the Parselmagic books, Harry opened it and looked through it curiously. Despite not having known there was a written language or even magic for the strange gift from Voldemort, Harry found himself able to read the book with no issue.

Sitting on his bed with the book, Harry started to read it from the beginning. It looked like a beginner level book and that it wouldn’t need a wand. Harry wondered if it was worth telling Tom he could read parselmouth just so that he could spend more time with the book, but figured he’d be able to gain more secrets from the Heir of the Snake House if the other thought he had a language to speak in that no one knew. Reluctantly, he put the book back exactly where he found it.

Just in time too, as Tom came out of the bathroom a moment later in the clean uniform, glancing over at Harry as he tied his tie. “You like to read, Evans?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the slight teen.

“Not usually, but you have some interesting topics here,” Harry answered after a moment.

“I find myself interested in all types of magic,” Tom told Harry, pulling out a book on occlumency. “This here, for example, is an extraordinarily useful form of mind magic. It allows the user to protect their mind from a Legilimens. Someone who can read your mind. It also offers some protection from truth serums and curses such as the Imperius Curse. It’s not a perfect protection, but some is better than nothing.”

“I was taught some occlumency, but I didn’t have the best teacher.” Harry shrugged. “I can empty out my mind after I figure out someone is there, but that’s it. I can throw off the Imperious Curse with no problem though,” he said proudly.

Tom nodded, seeming impressed. He looked at the book for a moment before handing it to Harry. “If you need any help, feel free to ask. With the war, and being a Slytherin, this is a skill you will want to have mastered.”

Harry took the book and frowned, having thought Tom wouldn’t want him to know how to keep the other out, before remembering that this was Tom, not Voldemort. Yet. “Yeah, I will. Thanks, Riddle,” he said quietly.

Tom nodded again and glanced at his watch. “We’ve spent enough time here. Let us gather the others and head to dinner. Don’t feel as if you have to stay in the Great Hall if it gets too loud for you.”


	6. Dinner Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This doesn't have much story in it, it's mostly filler and introducing some characters. We'll be getting into it more from now on, I promise. I've been really distracted from writing with classes and also writing up character sheets for all the OCs in this. Most won't have a big role, but I'm the type of person that plans details out extensively...  
> In other news, I have drawn up a full family tree for all the characters and most of them are actually related in one way or another. I'm currently trying to find a program to draw it up digitally that doesn't cost any money so that I can upload it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

_Previously:_

Tom nodded again and glanced at his watch. “We’ve spent enough time here. Let us gather the others and head to dinner. Don’t feel as if you have to stay in the Great Hall if it gets too loud for you.”

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 12 th, Tuesday**

When Harry agreed and put the book on his bed to read later, Tom led him out of the bedroom and to the other rooms, knocking on the doors to remind the other seventh year Slytherins that it was time for dinner. Together, the whole group made their way to the Great Hall, Harry walking at the back and talking with Henry.

“So, Evans, that’s a muggle last name, isn’t it?” Henry was asking as the pair walked together.

Harry nodded. “My dad was a muggleborn and my mum was a pureblood,” he said, figuring he’d switch them around a bit just to be safe.

Henry nodded. “Careful around some of the Slytherins. Most won’t care that you’re a half-blood, but there are some that are assholes. They shouldn’t give you any trouble since you’re under our protection though. They used to give Tom hell because we thought he was a muggleborn until he did some research and found out that he’s a half-blood and Slytherin’s heir, but it was still rough for the guy for the first year.

“In second year though, he showed those bigots. It’s not something to repeat in polite company, but he showed them not to underestimate an underdog and they’ve left him alone ever since. Well, he became the King of the House, but that was through hard work as well as him being Heir,” he told Harry. “Me though, I couldn’t care less about blood. It’s who you are as a person that matters. My family have always been neutral. There’s not one House in Hogwarts that we haven’t been in. My twin brother is actually in Gryffindor.”

Harry smiled as he listened to Henry ramble on, happy for the chance to get to know his great-grandfather. “What’s it like having a sibling? I was an only child.”

“Oh, it’s an utter nightmare,” Henry laughed, hazel eyes that were so very much like his future grandsons’ glinting in amusement. “But I love it. Charlus is a bit of an ass sometimes but we look after each other. We prank each other from time to time, but we work hard to remain close. The war between Gryffindor and Slytherin hasn’t been the easiest on his and my relationship, but we’ve made it work. Above all, it’s knowing that you’ve always got someone on your side that’ll listen to you, and help you out.”

Harry couldn’t help his warm smile as he listened, almost wishing that he’d had a sibling.

“What are you two gossiping about?” Orion asked as he came to walk on Harry’s other side, brushing his black hair out of pale brown eyes.

“Siblings,” Henry answered. “How’s your sister, Lucretta?”

“Oh, she’s good. Promising me that she’s keeping out of trouble but you know her,” Orion chuckled. “Though I’m concerned about her attraction to that Prewett boy.”

“Which one? There are two of them. Prewetts are known for twins, after all,” Henry chuckled.

“I don’t know which one, I just know it’s one of them and I don’t like it,” Orion huffed.

“Why don’t you like it?” Harry asked curiously.

“They’re not right for her. They’re in our year, and – “

He was cut off by Henry cutting in.

“Which is only a year older than her,” Henry stated with an eye roll. “Let the poor girl make her own mistakes. Your mother is controlling enough, Lucretta doesn’t need you breathing down her neck as well.”

“But she’s my baby sister!” Orion protested.

By this point, they’d entered the great hall and were moving down to sit at the end of the Slytherin table.

Sitting opposite of where the trio ended up sitting was a seventh-year girl with tanned, olive skin. Her hair was a very dark brown and hung in ringlets, a few strands pulled away from her face and bringing her bright blue eyes to attention. She was wearing heavy eyeliner and mascara, giving her bedroom eyes, while a natural rouge on her cheeks and lips balanced it out so it wasn’t too extreme.

“Who’s this fresh piece of meat?” she purred, leaning over to study Harry closely. Said boy leaned back a little and blushed.

“Down girl,” Henry chuckled. “This is James Evans, he’s new. James, this is Druella Rosier. She’s actually quite harmless, so don’t worry.”

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded. “Hello.”

“Aw, you’re cute,” Druella chuckled, leaning back and looking to Henry. “He’s the one that Tommy boy found slumped in the corridor a week or so ago?”

Henry nodded. “You know he’ll kill you if he hears you call him Tommy boy. Right?”

“Pff,” Druella scoffed, with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Only in his dreams. Now, come on. Give me all the gossip.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend to bother?” Orion huffed.

“Oh, I do. But he’s busy talking to his brother right now,” Druella responded, glancing at where Cygnus was talking with a younger boy with light brown hair, plenty of freckles and dark eyes. “Alphard had a question about something or other. I could go fetch Walburga if you’re jealous.”

“No!” Orion hissed, looking around warily.

“Aw, why not? Rumour mill has it that you two are engaged now.”

“Against my will.” Orion scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tuning out the bickering, Harry looked around the Great Hall to see if he recognised any faces. There were people on the other tables that looked as though they could be the grandparents or parents of people he had known in his time. On Gryffindor table, there were two red-heads that looked familiar, who Harry assumed were the Prewett twins. Also on the Gryffindor table was a woman who looked shockingly similar to what Harry thought McGonagall might have looked like at school, as well as someone who looked like a younger, less scarred and less paranoid Mad-Eye.

Shaking his head a little to clear his thoughts, Harry looked to the Head Table where Dippet sat. He gave a smile to the headmaster before continuing to look at who else was there. Seeing Dumbledore, he went to smile before he noticed that his former headmaster would look over the hall with a smile until he got to the Slytherin table, scowling at them. With a frown, Harry looked down at his plate, confused as to why Dumbledore would scowl at the Slytherins.

With his attention turned back to the table, the conversation around him started to filter back into hearing. Cygnus had joined them at some point and was chatting cheerfully with Henry while Druella leaned into his side.

“What do you think, James?” Cygnus asked brightly, looking to Harry.

Harry blinked. “Huh?” he responded eloquently.

“He’s not been paying attention for the last five minutes. He didn’t even notice you join us, Cygnus,” Henry told the other.

Cygnus looked a fair amount like his cousin with dark hair, pale skin and a similar face shape, but where Orion’s hair was closer to black than brown, Cygnus’s was the opposite. His eyes were a pale green instead of the pale brown Orion had or the light grey that Sirius had.

Henry was the odd man out of the five sitting together, with a healthy tan to what Harry thought might be a lighter skin tone to Druella’s olive skin, light brown hair with a red-ish tone and rich brown eyes.

Registering what Henry had said, Harry fought back a blush. “I’m sorry. It’s just, there’s so many people here,” he said with a sheepish grin, playing up the ‘never been to Hogwarts before’ charade. Really, he’d just been taken off guard with just how many people in the hall that he thought he recognised.

Cygnus smiled. “It’s fine, James. I was just asking what you thought of Quidditch.”

Harry’s eyes brightened as he perked up. “I love playing but I don’t really know much about the professional teams,” he admitted cheerfully. “I used to play as Seeker on my old team.”

“You certainly have the build for it,” Cygnus observed.

“Definitely. He’s tiny,” Druella mused from beside him, studying Harry again. “But tiny does mean quick and agile. You should try out for reserve seeker when we have tryouts in a few weeks. The Slytherin team isn’t terrible but Gryffindor has McGonagall and the Prewett twins and they’re bloody good.”

“Don’t let this girly exterior fool you, James. ‘Ella is one of our best players. She’s a chaser on the team and this year’s team Captain.”

Druella smiled brightly. “And I worked hard for the title of team captain.”

Harry smiled. “I’ll definitely come to tryouts!” he promised.

“Good boy,” Druella praised with a grin. “Serena will be a pretty tough act to follow, but I have faith in you, new kid.”

Harry looked to Henry and Orion for an explanation.

“Serena is the current seeker. She transferred from Italy in our third year and she’s bloody good on a broom,” Orion offered with a grin, pointing to a girl with olive skin, dark hair and dark eyes sitting down next to Aquilius. She had a slight build but didn’t look as if a strong wind would knock her over.

Harry nodded. “Oh, right. Okay,” he said, looking away from the Italian woman.

It was then that dinner appeared on the tables and the racket from students talking quietened down as everyone started to eat.

Harry observed the dynamic between the other Slytherin seventh years and the dynamics between students on the other house tables. The Slytherins were all talking quietly or ignoring each other in favour of eating, the Ravenclaws were all discussing lessons, homework or what sounded like a party? The Hufflepuff were all chatting happily and eating their meals, but they still kept the volume down, while the Gryffindors were all talking loudly with their mouths full, as rowdy and rambunctious as ever.

It was so similar to what the future Hogwarts was like, and it made Harry smile sadly as he remembered his friends and his family. He doubted he’d ever be able to see them again, but he knew, that if he was able to stop Tom becoming Voldemort - which he doubted - he’d be able to save them from the Dark Lord.

That’s what he hoped, at least.

That thought and his goal were enough to make Harry relax around the Slytherins more and he decided that he’d just try to fit in, keep his head down and stop Tom becoming a homicidal maniac.


	7. History Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a bit of a history lesson in this chapter. For those interested in Harry's timetable, I made it and have it available to view at https://goo.gl/DjcdWH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 12th, Tuesday**

After deciding what he was going to do, Harry focused on eating dinner. When dinner ended, all four houses slowly made their way to the common rooms to get some study or free time in before bed.

Harry decided to say goodnight to everyone and head to his room to try and catch up on some of his school work before he started classes in the morning, and by the time Tom came in to turn in for the night, Harry was fast asleep in bed with multiple books open around him.

Tom let out a low chuckled and closed all the books and put them aside with a flick of his wand before getting ready for bed and turning out the lights.

-

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 13th, Wednesday**

The next morning found Harry waking up to the sounds of Tom moving about the room, getting dressed for the day. He sat up and put his glasses on in time to see Tom reaching into his wardrobe to grab a shirt, his torso bare. Harry blinked, unable to help staring at the expanse of muscled, pale, and slightly scarred flesh in front of him before looking away, horrified at himself.

Tom noticed that Harry was awake then and he gave the teen a nod. “Good morning Evans. How did you sleep?” he asked, pulling his shirt on and buttoning it up.

Harry cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to pretend he hadn’t been staring before. “Uh, pretty good, actually. It’s not as cold down here as I thought it would be, being a dungeon and all,” he rambled.

“There are warming charms everywhere in the dorms and common rooms. With being in the dungeons and under the lake, it has the potential to get very cold, but it doesn’t thanks to magic,” Tom explained, tucking his shirt into his trousers. “I’m done in the bathroom, so it’s all yours. I’d suggest being quick if you want to get to the Great Hall before the breakfast rush.”

Harry nodded and got up, stretching slowly. “How did you sleep, then?”

“Quite well. I had nothing to complain about,” Tom answered.

Harry nodded again and gathered up a uniform before making his way into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

 

-

By the time Harry was done and had left for the common room, everyone else was awake and ready. Tom was nowhere to be seen, nor was Aquilius or Serena, but Druella, Cygnus, Orion, Abraxas and Orion were all in front of the fireplace, though it looked like Abraxas and Henry were about to leave. “Morning,” he greeted.

“Morning James,” Orion greeted cheerfully. “We were about to head to breakfast. You coming?”

Harry nodded and smiled. “Yeah, sure. Where’s Tom, Serena and Aquilius?”

“Oh, they’ve already left,” Henry answered. “Brax and I were about to leave to catch up with Natalia and Blair.”

“Blair?” Harry asked, looking to the blond male.

Said male just grinned. “You’ll find out later. See you guys,” he said before making his way out of the common room.

Druella rolled her eyes. “Boys,” she scoffed under her breath. “Blair is his girlfriend. She’s a Ravenclaw prefect.”

Harry nodded. “Oh, okay. So, everyone except Tom has gone to see their girlfriends before breakfast then?”

“Oh, no, Tom has too,” Cygnus hummed. “And not everyone. Henry is still here.”

“Not for much longer though,” Henry stated, grabbing his bag and fixing his tie. “How do I look?”

“Your hair is a mess, but otherwise perfect,” Druella told him. “Off you go. Can’t keep the Head Girl waiting, now can we?”

Henry glanced at his watch and swore before running off.

Harry was surprised at how the Slytherins were all acting, not expecting them to seem so… Human. His first six years at Hogwarts had taught him to see them as emotionless monsters who didn’t care about anyone except themselves, but so far, no one had acted like that except Aquilius. “Wait, go back, you said Tom has a girlfriend?”

Cygnus nodded. “Yep. She’s one of the Slytherin prefects, and she’s pretty cool. I mean, she’d have to be to put up with Tom,” he laughed, wrapping an arm around Druella’s shoulders.

Harry nodded, even more surprised that Tom had a girlfriend. Dumbledore had always told him that Voldemort didn’t know what love or friendship was, that he couldn’t care about anything. But now, this? Harry didn’t know what to think.

“Come on, let’s go,” Orion urged, glancing around.

Cygnus nodded and together, the three boys and one girl made their way up to the Great Hall.

-

In the Great Hall, the four joined up with the rest of the group and their partners with introductions going around for Harry’s sake.

“Hello, James, right? I’m Harleen,” a pale girl with freckles, wavy honey blonde hair and bright green eyes hiding under a fringe greeted, reaching over the table to shake Harry’s hand. She had an oval face and a kind smile on her lips, a red rose pinned in her hair.

Harry smiled back and shook her hand, briefly surprised at her strong grip. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” he said once he’d sat back down. With how close she was sitting to Tom, Harry realised this must be his girlfriend.

“Good morning James. I’m Blair Ripley,” another girl greeted. Her skin was a light rosy colour, and she had dark, wavy blonde hair pulled back from her oval-shaped face and into a messy bun, a few stray strands escaping. She had dark blue eyes with a hint of grey in them that reminded Harry of a darker version of Draco’s eyes. He quickly realised that this was Draco’s future grandmother.

“Hello,” Harry greeted softly and smiled at her as well, looking over at Natalia next. “Hello again, Natalia.”

“Hey James,” the Ravenclaw chuckled, brushing her auburn hair out of her soft blue eyes.

Finally, Harry turned to the last member of the group that he had yet to meet.

Serena had dark brown hair, dark hazel and olive skin that most from southern Italy had. She was quite slim and short, the perfect build for a Seeker. She had a heart-shaped face and her dark hair was pulled up and out of her face in a sleek ponytail. She gave Harry a small smile and a nod in greeting, leaning into Aquilius’s side. “Good morning,” she said softly.

“And to you,” he responded, giving her a warm smile.

And just like that, Harry was a part of the group, with everyone talking or eating breakfast. Around half an hour later, Slughorn walked up to the group to hand Harry his class schedule and to welcome him to Slytherin before returning to the Head table.

Harry looked down at his class schedule, conscious of the group going quiet in curiousity. “I have Muggle History first thing today,” he told them all, glancing up at the group.

“Can I see?” Harleen asked, holding her hand out for the schedule.

Harry nodded and handed it over to her.

Harleen studied the schedule for a moment before looking to Tom. “You share the most classes with him, hun.”

Tom glanced over at the schedule and nodded. “I’ll show you around for most of your classes then. I believe that Henry would be able to take you to Ancient Runes.”

Henry grinned and nodded. “I can do that!”

“Great! That’s sorted then,” Harleen hummed, handing the schedule back to Harry, who took it with a thankful smile aimed at the three.

“Thanks for your help,” he said, tucking the parchment into his bag and going back to his breakfast, a simple meal of bacon and eggs on toast, a cup of tea helping to wash it down.

“So, what’s the gossip in Slytherin?” Natalia asked the group curiously, glancing around at the Slytherins.

“Not much, really,” Harleen answered. “James here was sorted into our house, Gryffindors are still targeting the fourth years and down and receiving no punishment from their Head of House. A fifth-year girl accidentally cursed her friend’s hair off while practising spells.”

Harry frowned at Harleen. “What was that about the Gryffindors?” he asked.

Harleen looked to him. “You’ve heard of the war between Slytherin House and Gryffindor House, yes?” she asked, and Harry nodded. “Well, they say that it started with Salazar Slytherin being kicked out of Hogwarts by Godric Gryffindor because he was anti-muggle born.”

“That’s what I thought happened,” Harry admitted, realising from Harleen’s developing story that what he knew wasn’t... Exactly the truth.

“It’s not. At the time Hogwarts was established, it was very common for magicals to be killed by muggles who claimed witchcraft was the work of the devil. Hogwarts was a sanctuary for magicals that had been found out by muggles as well as a place for children to learn.

“Rowena, Helga, Salazar and Godric were all some of the most talented magicals of the time and they knew that a place was needed where all magicals could learn how to control and use their magic safely and away from the muggles. It’s not common knowledge, even among Slytherin house itself, but Salazar was actually a half-blood. His mother had no magic at all, nor a last name to give her son. He was named for his Noble father who, according to Salazar himself and records that were unearthed by some of our house, was notorious for sleeping with young, unwed maidens and leaving them pregnant and defenceless.” She paused here and looked to Tom.

Tom gave a slight nod and picked up where she left off. “Salazar was taught magic by two masters in potions, alchemy, healing and other arts of the like. He brewed all the potions that kept everyone healthy at Hogwarts. The Chamber was built as a safe place in case Hogwarts was discovered by muggles. As the only one at Hogwarts that spoke Parseltongue, it was somewhere the muggles were not able to get to. Salazar’s ghost has told us that he left Hogwarts to gather more students and to find potions ingredients when he died. There was no argument between Godric and Salazar, they were brothers in arms.”

Harry stared at Tom and Harleen in complete shock. This went against everything that he knew to be true. “I… I had no idea,” he admitted quietly.

“No one does,” Blair told him. “This group is in a lucky position where Tom is Salazar’s descendant and was able to convince him to tell us the truth. That, and we asked the Ravenclaw Ghost, the Grey Lady as she is Rowena Ravenclaw’s own daughter.”

Harry nodded slowly. “Wow… I didn’t know that the Grey Lady was Ravenclaw’s daughter…”

“We need to start heading off to class soon,” Natalia reminded them.

Harleen nodded. “I’ll just quickly fill James in with what the Gryffindors of today are up to as promised.” She turned back to Harry. “Anyway, for the last sixty or so years, there has been a massive divide between Slytherin and Gryffindor. No one knows how it started, but the so-called fight is always blamed, and it’s claimed to have always been going on, but I’m positive that is a lie. The Gryffindors are bullies, and their favourite victims are the younger Slytherins. They’re smart enough to leave the older years alone for the most part, but it still happens. What makes it worse is that if they’re caught, their Head of House does absolutely nothing about it. He’s convinced Gryffindors can do no wrong,” she huffed, annoyed.

Tom patted her arm and glanced at the head table with a scowl. “I’d suggest staying far, far away from Albus Dumbledore, Evans. He won’t protect anyone that isn’t a Gryffindor. And he’s completely convinced that Slytherins are the personification of the muggle Christian Devil.”

Harry nodded slowly and swallowed thickly. That couldn’t be right… Dumbledore was the good guy, the leader of the light!

Right?


	8. The End of an Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter this time. I apologise for taking so long, but between classes and life, I've not had much time or willpower for writing. We destroy Harry's belief in Dumbledore in this chapter and introduce two new characters who may or may not pop up again later in the story.
> 
> BE WARNED, THERE IS BULLYING, MENTIONS OF PAST ABUSE, BOYS FIGHTING AND AN LGBT INSULT IN THIS CHAPTER. THIS IS YOUR TRIGGER WARNING.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. Creative Liberties were taken. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
> 
> Please take heed of the trigger warning.

**Hogwarts – 1944, September 21st, Thursday**

Wrong.

Oh, he was so, so wrong.

Harry had remained faithful that, despite his cold behaviour towards the Slytherins, Dumbledore was still the good guy for the entirety of his first week at Hogwarts. Yes, the future Headmaster wasn’t the kindest to the Slytherins, but that wasn’t a bad thing, right?

That had been until Thursday a week after he’d become a student, as he’d been wondering the halls.

He’d been pondering all the information he’d been taking in in all of his classes, very confused at just how much had been cut out of the curriculum in the 90’s, and on his observations of the group of Slytherins he spent his days with.

Harleen and Tom were very close, and it was clear that Tom cared a great deal for the blonde woman, despite Harry having been told that Tom was unable to feel such emotions. All of the Slytherins were actually quite emotional compared to what Harry had expected them to be like.

He was cherishing the chance to get to know his great, great parents, however, spending a fair amount of time with Henry, Natalia, and Orion.

Harry was torn from his thoughts suddenly when he heard a cry of pain, the teen looking around for the source quickly. He didn’t see anything at first, but then he heard a voice coming from his right hiss ‘shut up, you little bitch’. Pulling out his wand, Harry moved towards the sounds quietly to help the student in trouble.

He’d always had this urge, to protect the other students, ever since he’d first started Hogwarts. Later, he’d think back on this and find it extremely weird as one of the first things an abused child learns is self-preservation.

But that’s an issue for another time.

Nearing the sounds, Harry looked around the corner, frowning deeply when he saw a young first-year girl in Hufflepuff robes huddled near the wall, sobbing and gripping auburn pigtails in her pale hands. She was watching a group of six Gryffindor boys, likely fifth or sixth-years, from the size of them, beating on a Slytherin first-year.

Completely forgetting stealth, his wand, and being magical, Harry stepped into the light. “Hey, leave him alone,” he said, voice loud and disapproving.

The group of six all turned to Harry, grinning cruelly. “Look boys, another _fairy_ ,” the one who was obviously the ringleader crooned.

The rest of the group of boys all jeered, egged on by their leader. Harry felt a small, mostly ignored part of him flinching away from the pack behaviour that was displayed, getting unwelcome flashbacks to his treatment from Dudley. Refusing to be cowed, he squared his shoulders and stepped forward. “I said back off,” he said firmly.

The small girl shuffled forward to her friend, not daring to make a sound as she hugged the badly beaten boy.

Distracted by their new prey, the gang didn’t care about the first-years anymore. Not when there was new, bigger prey for the taking.

_-_-_-_-_

Harry woke up in the hospital wing an hour later with a black eye and a pounding headache. Sitting up in the cot, he groaned and rubbed his face before searching around blindly for his glasses.

He was surprised when a slim hand took his wrist gently and pressed the frames into his hands. “Here,” a soft voice said, looking over at the blur of colours, Harry slipped his glasses on and smiled a little at Natalia, who was sitting beside the cot.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked quietly, not sure if there were others in the hospital wing trying to rest.

“Well, I’m here to find out what happened, to thank you, and to check on my sister,” Natalia answered. “After you got there, she ran to get me and Professor Zimmermann. We got there just after those brutes fled the scene, unfortunately.”

Harry rubbed his forehead. “Wait, the little Hufflepuff first year is your sister? Is she okay? And the boy? Her friend?”

Natalia held up her hands. “Calm,” she soothed. “They’ll be okay. Tereza wasn’t hit, so she’ll be okay, but Bryan will have some bruising for a few days. The bruise ointments aren’t that good yet.”

Harry nodded and sighed. “I didn’t want to believe what Harleen said about Gryffindors being bullies last week, but this… This is extreme.”

“How much of what happened do you remember?”

“Well, I was just wondering the halls, just thinking you know, when I heard someone cry out in pain. I immediately went to investigate, and stumbled across your sister, Bryan and six Gryffindors. I told the Gryffindors to back off, and while they were distracted, Tereza helped Bryan flee. A fight broke out, and I can’t remember who threw the first punch, but, well, I forgot I was a wizard and it was six against one, so I was overwhelmed pretty quickly, I’m ashamed to admit…” He paused here, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before grimacing.

“I remember seeing someone walking past, and pausing in full view of everything, and… I must have been imagining things, but I could have sworn that when I looked over, I saw He-Professor Dumbledore watching. And if it was him, I know he saw what happened, because we made eye contact… But then he just continued walking as if he’d never seen anything…”

Natalia frowned. “That’s very troubling to hear… Him not punishing his house is one thing, but this…” she mumbled.

Harry nodded and swallowed thickly. “What do we do?” he asked his friend quietly.

“I’m not quite sure, to be perfectly honest,” Natalia sighed. “We have to mention something to the Headmaster, but other than that? I don’t think there’s anything else we can do except protect each other.”

Harry nodded. “Any idea when I can leave the hospital wing?”

“Mm, probably soon. We’ll have to check with Madame Nightingale.”

Harry nodded again and looked around.

The young first years Harry had stepped in to protect came up to the bed while he was observing his surroundings and when he noticed them, he gave them a smile.

“Thanks for helping us,” little Tereza said from her big sister’s side, holding Natalia’s hand.

Bryan nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Evans,” he mumbled.

Harry shook his head. “There’s nothing to thank me for. We’ve all got to look out for each other here,” he said kindly. “How are you feeling? Bryan, right?”

The Slytherin first-year nodded again. “Bryan Holt. I’ve had worse, so I’ll be okay.”

Harry frowned a little at that and looked to Natalia, who just shrugged. “What do you mean you’ve had worse?” she asked Bryan worriedly.

He just shrugged and looked down at the floor, keeping silent.

The seventh years both frowned in concern, but didn’t push the subject.

“If you ever need to talk to anyone about anything, feel free to come see either me or James,” Natalia told Bryan gently.

“Ah! Mr Evans, how are you feeling?” Isabelle Nightingale asked as she bustled over to check on Harry.

“I feel fine, thanks,” Harry answered, giving the matron a smile. “No doubt thanks to you.”

She chuckled and gently turned his head this way and that. “Well, you don’t seem to have a concussion, thankfully. You need to not get into fights in the future, Mr Evans.”

“I don’t always get into fights. But I couldn’t exactly walk away when I saw a bunch of sixth-years beating on two first-years.”

Madame Nightingale pursed her lips and glanced over to the said first-years. “I’m truly thankful that you helped them, but I dislike that you needed to step in in the first place. I thought we taught our students better than that here.”

Natalia nodded. “I second that. I know that we teach Ravenclaws better in the common room,” she said, drawing her sister in close.

“And the Hufflepuff prefects gave us all a speech about being kind,” Tereza spoke up quietly.

Isabelle gave the young girl a kind smile.

Harry shifted awkwardly. “Can I maybe go?” he asked slowly.

“Oh! Of course. Just take it easy, you hear?” Healer Nightingale said with a light chuckle. “I don’t want you back in here next week.”

Harry laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll certainly do my best.”


End file.
